American actor Patrick Swayze has been spotted having a smoke on the sets of his new A&E TV series The Beast, despite battling cancer. Swayze, who announced in January that he has pancreatic cancer, was caught puffing away on a cigarette while talking to a crewmember, as he took a break from playing an FBI agent.

via entertainment.oneindia.in

Younger women who smoke have more than double the risk of stroke compared to nonsmokers, with the heaviest smokers among them having nine times the risk, according to a U.S. study.
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Nonsmokers who are married to someone who smokes have a greatly increased risk for stroke, a finding that further underscores the dangers of secondhand smoke.
Researchers reporting in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine say the risk varies depending on whether the nonsmoking spouse has smoked in the past.

via medicinenet.com

The Harvard University team looked at records of more than 16,000 people. The American Journal of Preventative Medicine study found the risk rose by up to 72% for some non-smokers. The stroke dangers to smokers are well known, but there are fewer studies which have explored the risk from passive smoking. Since the introduction of smoking bans in public places across the UK, the home is now the most likely place for non-smokers to breathe second-hand smoke.

via news.bbc.co.uk

In experiments with mice, U.S. researchers have discovered why viral infections have more severe consequences in smokers than in nonsmokers. For example, smokers with influenza are more likely to die than nonsmokers with influenza. The Yale University School of Medicine team found that a combination of cigarette smoke and compounds.

via medicinenet.com

A recent research by a Harvard university team has said that Tobacco Companies are manipulating the level of Menthol in cigarettes. This is, obviously, being done to attract adults by making the product brand more appealing. However, cigarette industry has denied these charges.

via topnews.in

Most teenagers who smoke try really hard to kick the habit -- but are unsuccessful, according to a new study.
“Teen smokers make their first serious attempt to quit after only two-and-a-half months of smoking, by the time they have smoked for 21 months they have lost confidence . . .to quit,” said Jennifer O'Loughlin Université de Montréal, co-author of the study.

via newkerala.com

A new study has revealed that quit-smoking contests fail to induce people to kick the butt. A systematic review of 17 studies involving nearly 6,300 participants showed that despite incentives ranging from lottery tickets to cash payments, quit smoking contests did not help people to kick the habit. In one study, participants were encouraged to toss their cigarettes down the toilet and rewarded with one lottery ticket per day.

via newkerala.com

Australian scientists have identified a potential treatment to combat malaria by pinpointing the process that helps the disease hijack red blood cells. They have found the key to an adhesive that stops the parasite being flushed out of the body by the immune system. The removal of just one of these compounds is enough to bring the process to a halt.

via news.bbc.co.uk

Want to quit smoking? Try the herbal chewable tablets developed by the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow. ''These herbal tablets will not only help those who want to quit smoking, but also be useful for all those who want to do away with other tobacco products like pan-masala and ghutka,'' Ch.V.Rao, scientist-pharmacology, NBRI, told IANS.

via newkerala.com

English singer Amy Winehouse is no stranger to tabloid headlines - routinely grabbing attention for alleged drug use, brushes with the law, bizarre onstage behavior and curious fashion choices. Yet a recent disclosure that the 24-year-old has "signs of emphysema," according to her U.S. publicist, Tracey Miller, shocked many. Though copious photos show the beehived songstress with a cigarette dangling from her lips.

via azcentral.com

Doctors’ leaders called for curbs on smoking scenes in films and in the media yesterday as they pressed for tougher government action to reduce the demand for cigarettes. Film censors should take into account pro-smoking elements in films when issuing a licence, and films portraying smoking in a “positive” light should be preceded by anti-smoking advertisements, the British Medical Association said.

via entertainment.timesonline.co.uk

Police arrested Steven Shane Bickle, 53, earlier this week after he returned a urine sample that tested positive for cannabis on June 24. Under his supervision order, Bickle is forbidden to use illicit drugs.
Giving evidence today in the Supreme Court in Brisbane, Bickle admitted that he had "one or two puffs on a reefer" a couple of days before he was due to undergo his weekly drug test.

via theaustralian.news.com.au

Iowa - A group of bar and restaurant owners has filed a lawsuit in Polk County District Court seeking to overturn a new statewide smoking ban. The Iowa Bar Owners Coalition, based in Clinton County, filed a petition in Polk County District Court in Des Moines on Tuesday. The group's attorney, George Eichorn says he's seeking a temporary injunction on the enforcement of the ban until the case can go to trial.

via chicagotribune.com

Smoking can affect many parts of your body, even your bones and joints. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons lists these musculoskeletal problems that can be triggered by smoking:
* Increased risk of osteoporosis.
* Decreased bone density.
* Reduced ability to absorb calcium.
* Reduced protection provided by estrogen replacement therapy.

via medicinenet.com